Of Servers and Cigarettes
by torishly
Summary: Waiting tables is a lot like life;  you need patience, the ability to multi-task, and a flair for improvisation.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing  
****Authors Note: Not entirely sure what category this would fall under. Lets just keep it a safe general.**

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**Of Servers and Cigarettes**

The diner was brightly lit against the black backdrop of night. Kaede had forgotten to close the blinds _again_, so the inner workings of the restaurant were transparent through the illuminated windows lining the outside perimeter of the structure. Inside, the seats and booths were occupied with the usual truckers, hitchhikers and insomniacs that made up the graveyard shift of the All Seasons diner.

An old, beat up 1985 ford fairline, which looked scratched beyond repair, rapidly sped into the car lot and screeched into a parking space, spraying up gravel in the process. Throwing the door open, Kagome Higurashi vaulted out of the seat and slammed the car door shut with her foot. She then dropped the glowing stub that was the remains of her cigarette into the dirt, and stamped it out with her shoe as she marched across the lot and up the ramp into the building.

No sooner had she walked through the main entrance, was Kikyo there, shooting her a death glare from behind the coffee machine.

"You're late" she hissed through clenched teeth, her pale fingers drumming the counter and her foot tapping impatiently.

"You were supposed to be here at 11:00 and it is now, (she glanced at her watch) 11:12, your almost fifteen minuets late!" she slapped her hands palm down on the counter top to emphasize her point.

Kikyo, neat freak and obsessive compulsive that she was, was nothing if not punctual.

"You know, this is the third time you've been late this week, I don't care if you're my sister Kagome, one more time and I'm going to have to report you! Its been like this since high school Kags, somewhere along the line you're going to have to learn to take responsibility for yourself, and develop a sense of maturity, and learn to suffer the consequences of your actions and-"

"Oh, for the love of God, would you give it a rest already!" Kagome who had been trying to tune out her sibiling for the past 5 minuets moaned. She slipped behind the counter, away from the front of the eatery, and walked towards the kitchen were her black apron was stuffed, conveniently, into an old drawer used for pan lids.

"Kouga dropped by and I hung out with him for a while and time got away from me, alright? I'm sorry." She picked up the apron and tied it messily around her waist, sticking a pen through her hair to hold it up. Putting her hands on her hips, she turned towards Kikyo and rolled her eyes,

"Besides, you'd never report me because I live with you and when you get home, I would be forced to play nonstop Rush songs, all including eight minuet guitar solos just to irritate you to death."

Kikyo just shook her head and let out a long exaggerated sigh. Then her nostrils flared slightly as she sniffed the air, "I thought you quit." She said with a deadpan look on her face.

Kagome smiled sweetly at her and mouthed '_Bite me'_ before walking back over to the coffee machine and starting up a new brew.

Well since you're here, do you mind taking care of one of my tables? He wanted a coffee and I asked if he wanted anything else and he said, and I quote: 'You. To go'." Her mouth stretched out into a grimace and Kagome broke into a laugh.

"Aww, Kikyos got herself an admirer!" Kagome sang in a high pitched voice as she yanked the coffee pot out from the machine, and stuck a mug under the stream.

"Please Kags, I'm desperate. I really don't feel like starting something with a customer tonight and I have other tables to get to, thanks to _somebody _for not showing up on time for her shift." She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Kagome.

"Your wish is my command," Kagome answered back with a patronizing smile. Taking a gulp of coffee from the mug, she grabbed the entire pot and made her way out onto the floor. Right smack dab into a human body.

Coffee went flying one way, and she fell back the opposite, her denim clad butt taking the fall. The man however, wasn't so lucky.

He fell away from her, also on his butt, but with a great, big, 12 cup, container of coffee landing on his head, causing it to shatter and soak him through, reducing the poor guy into one great big, and huge, overly caffeinated mess.

It was dead silent for about a second, before the laughing started, a little at first then picking up speed and volume like a slow clap. Soon the entire diner was cracking up at the expense of Kagome and Guy-Now-Drenched-In-Coffee. Kagome could only gawk in mortified shock at the stranger in front of her, who was now standing up and wiping the brown beverage out of his eyes with the back of his arm. Luckily the coffee had had a few minuets to cool off so it wasn't searing, but it still had to be hot! She sprang back up and grasped at a couple of napkins sitting at a table to her right.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry! Is there anything I can do?, anything I can get you sir?" she babbled while frantically dabbing at the mans long sleeved black tee shirt.

"How about a coupon for a week of free meals, on the house, or maybe you would like to treat you friends to a free diner, or…? She vaguely realized he was trying to talk, but she kept cutting him off with her apologizing. It wasn't until he wrapped a hand around her wrist and lifted her hand off his shirt, that she shut up, took a step out of his personal bubble, and looked at him.

His black hair was long and dripping down his back, and his violet eyes were huge and looked a bit intimidated. It would have been identical to the type of embarrassed look her little brother would give after falling in public, except this man was about a good foot and a half taller than _her_, let alone Souta.

His face was blushing crimson, and his eyes were darting around at the laughing faces; not able to meet anyone's gaze. Finally they dropped down to his feet and all she could make out, his voice was so low, was _"… err…Inuyasha…just hired…start today…well tonight…"_ she was still a little disoriented from everything that happened and now this guy was making her feel deaf on top of everything else.

"Just spit it out!" she ordered. He angrily jerked his head up and yelled "IM WORKING HERE NOW OKAY!" The restaurant got quiet again, everyone staring because of his outburst. If it was even possible his blush deepened. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest defensively, and sent a hard look at man sitting in a flannel shirt nearby. "What?" he muttered, before turning around and heading towards the kitchen to look for Kaede.

Kagome was still standing in the same exact spot, mouth open, staring after him, until Kikyo walked up next to her, looking in the same direction.

"So I see you've met the new assistant manager, huh?" was all she commentated.

"What! That nut job?" Kagome cried, snapping her attention to Kikyo.

"Yup"she said, all nonchalant.

She strolled back towards the counter and leaned back against it on her forearms. Cocking an eyebrow, she smiled a bit smugly and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Let's just see what happens next time you're late Kags. This guys got 'crazy-boss' written all over him." And for once, Kagome actually contemplated coming in _early_ for work the next day. Maybe.

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**A/N: Remember guys, "Tipping" is not a city in China. Once again, another start to a fic that will probably never be finished. But who knows? I like this Kagome and I need a place to vent the horrific woes that befall a teenage waitress.  
**_Edit: this fic was originally done with sango as kagomes coworker and roomie, but I liked the idea of kikyo in that role better. She just screams overly-protective older sibiling to me. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing guys.**  
**Authors note:Rating change due to Kagomes mouth. **

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**Chapter 2**

Saturday morning came in hot and sunny at All Seasons. Gone were the truckers and occasional weirdoes who inhabited the restaurant at night, and in their place were vacationing families with screaming children begging for ice cream, and parents desperately in need of coffee. Pancakes, toast, eggs, and bacon were frantically being carted every which way, waiters literally running from table to table to keep up with the demanding orders.

Kagome, having stuck to her promise of coming in early, was already highly regretting this apparent lapse in judgment on her part. It was only 10 in the morning and already she had had to take someone's iced tea back to the kitchen because it wasn't "lemony" enough, the register had gotten messed up so badly by the new guy that it beeped for 15 minuets straight until Kikyo, in a fit of rage, had whacked it with an empty syrup dispenser, and when Hojo had called her cell to set up dinner plans, she actually got chewed out by Inuyasha for not focusing on her work! What the hell? It was beyond her how this guy even got a job here let alone became assistant manager; he could barely make a sandwich without help.

In her opinion, Kaede was more than a little lenient when it came to resumes, but I mean come on, this guy was hopeless. It was obvious he had never worked a day in his life, and was trying to compensate for that by being extra bossy and therefore, extra annoying. Kagome wasn't even sure why Inuyasha wanted to work at a Greasy Spoon style diner like this one in the first place. The pay was minimum plus tips, they were short staffed so the hours were hectic and judging by the sporty black convertible he rolled in on earlier this morning, he obviously didn't need a little extra help paying the rent like Kikyo and herself. So the winning question was this; what exactly was he doing here?

She paused for a moment, taking a break from rolling silverware to consider this. He had already been working there for about week, but it was blatantly obvious he wasn't interested in getting to know anyone, and probably didn't even want the job. He hardly spoke to her or any of the other staff members. Even one of the cooks, Miroku, who was so funny he could probably get one of those guards in front of Buckingham palace to crack up, couldn't coax a non-work related conversation out of him.

When Kagome had started job hunting, Kikyo had been waitressing for almost a year, and was the one who recommended her to Kaede. The only reason Kaede had even considered hiring Kagome at the time was because of Kikyo's sparkling resume and reputation, and Kagome was automatically assumed to be the same A+ material.

Psh, in your dreams.

After a while it was clear the two sisters were polar opposites, but at the same time, as close as two people could possibly be. Kaede didn't have the heart to fire one girl and not the other. They were like a buy one get one free sale.

With Kikyo, everything was spick and span; short, sweet and to the point. She was a firm believer in hard work, independence, and that everything had its place. Focused, driven, and precise, she deemed that there was a right way and a wrong way to do things, and Kikyo was determined to do things the right way. Also, Kikyo was apparently the only one of the Higurashi sisters with fully developed people skills. She had the patience of a saint and could handle the constant varying personality's that went with working in public relations.

Kagome on the other hand, was a different story altogether. Unlike Kikyo, Kagome was a firm believer that wherever something falls is a good place for it. Sometimes when she was annoyed with Kikyos constant responsibility lectures, or pissed off in general, she would rearrange the saltshakers, or disorganize the napkins just to drive her sister crazy. She couldn't take crap from anyone, and "tolerance" wasn't in her vocabulary. On more than one occasion, a client would raise a complaint about something stupid and inane, like the toast not being brown enough, or their food touching, and Kagome would have to be pulled away by the arm to stop her from throwing a punch.

Even there dating styles were different; Kikyo had maintained the same boyfriend since 10th grade, and Kagome had a new date, or a new guy, systematically every other week since junior year.

But when all was said and done, Kagome and Kikyo were undeniably close. The second either of them were in the same room together they were constantly talking, arguing, laughing, or gossiping. Even when they weren't communicating with their mouths, there was something between them, some kind of mental link that allowed them to converse with each other in other ways, like body language, facial expressions, and eye rolls.

"You're not rolling those tight enough." a reprimanding voice stated behind her.

Kagome snapped out of her daze and looked over her shoulder

"Huh?" she asked, blinking from being yanked from her daydream.

"The silverware…" Inuyasha walked over next to her, "you're not rolling those tight enough, you have to tuck the fold into the crease, like this and-"

"I know how to roll silverware, thanks." Kagome shot back, snatching the fork and spoon out of his hands.

His eyes widened, obviously taken by surprise, before he slowly dropped his hand and shoved it in his pocket. He looked like a kicked puppy and it annoyed her.

She threw her hands up in the air and turned towards him

"Jesus, would you PLEASE go do something useful for once instead of walking around here like a jackass? If you don't want to be here, then leave. I'm sure there are plenty of other dead end jobs just waiting for you to waltz into their store and fill out an application. In the meantime, if you are going to be here, then just do your own shit and I'll do mine, deal?" And with that, she flung the last of the silverware on the countertop, picked up a tray with a sandwich and lemonade on it, and stormed out onto the main floor, bumping him out of the way with her hip as she passed.

She didn't notice the hurt look on his face before she left.

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**A/N: ****Whoa, two chapters in two days? I've outdone myself. Kagomes a complete and total bitch and I love it. But not everyone shares my dry, sadistic sense of humor so more shall be revealed. She is the main character after all, I can't have her completely un-likeable.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own Nothing**  
**Authors Note: Inuyasha point of view.  
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**Chapter 3  
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The first thing I had come to associate with work was music.

Being assistant manager, I kind of figured it was part of the job description to get to work early to go over inventory, so it was a definite surprise when during my first week there, I drove into the parking lot at 7, to find the place completely opened up already. I was sure that maybe I had set my alarm wrong and it was actually 8, but checking my watch, the gold Rolex on my wrist clearly read 7:05. Now what kind of insane phsyco freak would wake up at 6 just to get here before me? Of there own free will no less?

I walked up to the main entrance to find the doors already unlocked, and upon stepping inside, was greeted with a loud blast of music. This was how I had come to fully meet the eldest of the Higurashi sisters.

A tall, thin girl with long dark hair swept into a ponytail was already positioned behind the counter, black uniform apron on, busily segregating the sweet and lows from the equals in one of the sugar containers.

She looked so intently concentrated on this task that I was actually a bit intimated to interrupt her, so I settled for walking casually behind the counter also, and stretched my arm up and over her head to reach the shelf that held the coffee filters. She didn't even flinch.

The radio that I had assumed the music was blaring from actually wasn't a radio at all. The girl had brought a pretty impressive ihome with her, and a black, sleek ipod nano in pristine condition was currently jacked on the port. I didn't even recognize the song; although it sounded pretty old, definitely something pre-90's, with a bouncy beat and music synthesizers.

'I wonder if she even knows I'm here,' I thought to myself as I balanced the box of filters on my right thigh. Successfully retrieving one, I slipped a little, and a couple of filters fell out, but I calmly stepped over them and walked towards the coffee maker.

"Hey! I just organized those!" she yelled suddenly, over the music.

I turned around, wondering at first what she was talking about, to see her quickly bend down on the floor to scoop up the filters.

"Now these have been contaminated because I have NOT sterilized the floor yet, and therefore must be thrown away! This is a waste of paper! Do you realize how many trees your killing? Honestly, learn to be a little more careful." She huffed, stepping on the lever for the tin garbage bin and throwing the filters away.

I just stood there, the red Maxwell container in my right hand, staring at her. Was this chick for real?

"Oh, now look at what you've done!" she cried glowering at me. She was glaring at my feet and glancing down, I noticed the admittedly scruffy converse I had on had tracked a few pieces of dirt and a couple blades of grass onto her clean floor.

She looked like she was seriously about the throw something at me, and I would have actually ducked had the front door not made its signature "ding" signaling someone had walked inside.

The girl in front of me immediately turned her attention to the new comer before palming her face into her hand dramatically, and yelling; "Great, would you just look at this!"

Listening to her, I looked at yet another girl walking casually into the building. She was shorter and curvier than the other one, and her hair was curlier, falling over her shoulders in soft waves. Her face was totally obscured with huge, dark sunglasses, and in her short white tee and frayed denim shorts, she looked more like she was ready for a day at the beach than a day at work.

She waved her hand at the taller one (Kikyo, I suddenly remembered) in a dismissive gesture and flip flopped over to me. Standing next to her, I noticed she smelled clean and sweet, like soap, with the faint, lingering scent of smoke clinging to her hair. Not even seeming to notice that I was holding the coffee, she quickly spooned a few tablespoons of it from my hand into the coffeemaker, and then filled it up with water from a nearby water bottle. Finally jabbing her finger on the button, she started stretching as the machine sputtered to life. Throwing her arms over her head like that, her ample chest stuck out and I stared for a second before blushing like an idiot and looking away.

Meanwhile, Kikyo was on a rampage.

"…didn't even call, and not even a note! I had no idea where you were, Kagome, for all I knew you could have been abducted by one of those creeps you're always hanging out with, and you could be dead in a gutter somewhere! Seriously, I just go home to find your car gone and your cell phone isn't on? I was up all night waiting for you-"

"Kik, last I checked, you are NOT mom. Who am I kidding; you're even worse than her! Believe it or not, I'm a big girl now, and I don't need you waiting up all night for me."

She had hopped onto the counter and was dangling a flip flop off her foot. He noted her toes were painted cherry red.

Kikyo must have noticed too.

"And that is not regulation footwear Kagome!" she shouted across the counter.

"Dear God, It's like staying with grandma living with you!" Kagome finally screamed back. "I know you haven't had a date with dear old "Shessy-poo" in forever, but don't get all jealous and upset with me for actually having a life!" she hollered, her fist shaking so hard that the charms on a bracelet around her wrist were clinking together. The funky song ended and the diner was eerily quiet.

Kikyo drew in a little gasp and her eyes got huge like she had been slapped. Then she went back to her sugar bowls, now jerkily lining the packets up so that they were all perfectly straight across.

Kagome was now standing in front of the coffee machine, at the opposite end of the island, gripping the counter top so fiercely her knuckles were white.

I felt frozen, like I was in the middle of a mine field. Clearly these two were bat-shit crazy, and I really didn't want to chance one of them registering my existence and freaking out on me, so I figured the best thing to do was keep quiet. I slowly began to inch backwards toward the kitchen without making any sudden movements.

Finally the coffee was ready, and Kagome pulled the entire pot out and took a sip. Sighing loudly, she yanked off her sunglasses and turned around to face me.

Of course she was beautiful, or would be if I didn't already know her personality. She was obviously prettier than her sister and pretty girls were always bitches. They simply knew they were hot, and because of this they though it gave them the right to walk all over everyone else. And even though I admit I did kind of check her out before, I knew a girl like this, a pretty and normal girl, wouldn't give the light of day to a guy like me. Somehow, that just made it easier to dislike her, and to be more than a little nervous around her too.

She was narrowing her blue, kohl rimmed eyes, shooting me a fixed stare that pointedly said _get lost_.

I didn't need to be told twice. Quickly ducking into the kitchen, I yanked on the black polo shirt Kaede had given me with the gold name tag that read assistant manager on it. Just as I was about to go out through the back door, I heard what was going on out in front;

"I'm sorry." I heard Kagome say softly.

Kikyo sniffed, like she was close to crying. "You're always sorry." She muttered

"I know."

Peeking around the corner, I saw Kikyo hunched over the counter top and kagome move up next to her, gently dropping her head on kikyos shoulder.

"Kik, I'm so sorry. I know I should have called, its just that Hiten invited me to go sailing with him, and before I knew it, it was night, and then he invited me back to his place, and then-"

"Wait, wait, wait, Hiten? The guy from the sports store?" kikyo asked, looking up a little.

Kagome, her head still resting against kikyos, started giggling.

"Yeah, it was the most random thing in the world, there I was, just like, out of the shower, hanging out in a freaking towel, when he calls out of nowhere, and I totally forgot who he even was but…"

I started walking away. Somehow, I got the feeling that those two fought a lot, and it always resolved itself one way or another. I stepped out into the early sunlight, onto the porch steps and lit a cigarette. There was at least another hour before opening and I got the feeling I was gonna need it.

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_A/N: See Kagome can be sweet…when she wants to be. _


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